Research Opportunities – (M.Sc.)

Electrical and Electronic Engineering
We welcome applications to study for a research degree. The School provides an exciting, high quality research environment with state-of-the-art facilities, world-class staff, and a supportive structure for research students. Central to this is the work of the academic staff, all of whom are internationally recognised scholars in their respective fields of activity.

Our postgraduate students are in great demand from employers, particularly as many areas of research undertaken in the School are directly connected with industry. Most of our UK/EU students are funded by research councils, charities or industry.

Research degrees are usually undertaken by students who have developed a strong interest in a certain area of their studies and who wish to enhance their graduate qualifications and experience toward a professional research level.

PhD Electrical and Electronic Engineering The School offers a three year full time PhD degree and a New Route PhD degree. Most programmes are undertaken within one of the five research groups within the School.

The links below will provide you with a brief overview of each group, and provide you further links to each groups own set of web pages. There are opportunities for researchers who are privately funded and wish to pursue research outside of these main themes.

MRes in Electrical and Electronic Engineering Duration: 1 year full-time
This MRes degree is offered for those postgraduates who wish to combine a structured teaching element with a specialist research project in any subject in electrical and electronic engineering. The programme, starting in October, comprises 180 credits of level IV modules. This consists of: a research project (120 credits) working in one of the internationally renowned research groups in the School; a 40-credit technical taught content related to the chosen area of research; and a 20-credit non-technical taught element designed to enhance personal and professional skills covering IT, presentation and communication, research management, and science and technology business skills.

MRes in Electromagnetics in the Analysis and Design of Communication and High-Speed Systems Duration: 1 year full-time
This MRes course is aimed at those who need to obtain an understanding and working knowledge of principles and applications of a variety of computational and experimental techniques for the analysis, design and optimisation of modern communications and high-speed devices and systems. A total of 180 credits are accumulated from: 30-credit compulsory module `Research Techniques in Advanced Electromagnetics`, 130-credit project-based work and 20-credit non-technical taught element designed to enhance personal and professional skills covering IT, presentation and communication, research management, and business skills. This course is also available at the National Institute of Telecommunications (Warsaw, Poland).

Applied Optics The Applied Optics Group provides research opportunities in the application of optical, ultrasonic and instrumentation engineering to sensing research in medicine, biology, materials, structures and processes. The research activity involves optics, ultrasonics and electronic (VLSI) design; this breadth allows us to develop novel and intellectually balanced solutions which encompass front-end detection and applicable state-of-art information processing.

Much of the research is inter- and multi-disciplinary in nature and can be placed into four broad application areas: microscopy and optical techniques, biomedical applications, integrated sensors, and laser ultrasonics. However, there is an extensive flow of ideas between the themes; for instance, the use of exotic wave modes appears in several ultrasonic and microscopy projects sharing the same fundamental wave mechanics; the use of stochastic methods has been developed in several ultrasonic, biomedical and optical projects; moreover the and use of custom sensors is frequently a key factor in all four categories. The common intellectual base of the group has been applied to industrial sectors in the aerospace industry together with addressing of fundamental issues in biological sciences.

A new research institute IBIOS (Institute of Biophysics, Imaging and Optical Science) has recently been established combining researchers from the Applied Optics Group and Cell Biophysics Group in Biological Sciences. This provides a truly interdisciplinary environment where novel techniques in sensors and microscopy are developed in conjunction with fundamental research in membrane biophysics. It is expected that the Institute will provide a focus for application of novel optical techniques in the Biological Sciences. The official launch symposium for the Institute is planned for early 2008.

Applied Ultrasonics The Applied Ultrasonics Laboratory within the Applied Optics Group provides research in the science and technology of ultrasound techniques for the solution of industrial problems concerning the non-destructive evaluation (NDE) of safety critical structures and in the monitoring of chemical processes. Its principal activity is the study of ultrasonic wave propagation in complex materials and, where appropriate, also in the structures formed of them. Over many years its research programmes have established ultrasonic spectrometry as a key analytical tool with many applications.

An early concern was the way in which thermosetting polymers, such as epoxies, changed from a viscous liquid to a strong glassy solid during the curing reaction - ultrasound could be used to track and understand the dynamics of this process, and studies in this area led to NDE tools which have been used to guarantee the integrity of structural adhesive bonds in motor car body shells. This led to the formation of a highly successful spin-off company and the application of our new techniques in several mass motor car manufacturing companies, as well as to the analysis on interfacial sealing layers in advanced passenger aircraft structures.

Electromagnetics Research (George Green Institute for)The George Green Institute for Electromagnetics Research (GGIEMR) expertise lies in the development of sophisticated models and tools for numerical simulation of electromagnetic problems over a wide range of frequencies.
The GGIEMR offer research opportunities in computational electromagnetics, electromagnetic compatibility, interference and signal quality, optical waveguides and optoelectronic circuits, coupled systems (eg optical/electronic, electromagnetic/thermal), EMC transients and power quality, fast protection of power networks, material characterisation and modelling at high frequencies.
The institute has originated and developed the Transmission Line Modelling (TLM) method of numerical simulation and is today one of the international centres of expertise in this area. The Institute has an international standing in simulation for electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and on the study of fast transients for protection and fault location. More recently, work on photonic and optoelectronic simulation has resulted in the setting up of the Bookham Technology Centre for Optoelectronic Simulation.
Photonic and Radio Frequency EngineeringThe Photonic and Radio Frequency Engineering Group (PREFG) offers research opportunities three research areas: High-Power Optoelectronics, Photonic Communications Technologies and RF Devices, Circuits and Materials.
High-Power Optoelectronics focuses on high-power and high-brightness laser diodes, simulation and design, characterisation and degradation physics. Developments in this area include: a high-current (50A) non-destructive probe for CW testing of unmounted laser bars and a flexible, state-of-the-art facility for characterising optoelectronic materials and devices; a "by-emitter" degradation analysis method allowing identification of a packaging-induced strain threshold for emitter degradation; and a quasi-3D optical-electronic- thermal coupled models, including a multi-wavelength "spectral" model for the predictive design and simulation of high-brightness laser diodes.
In Photonic Communications Technologies, the focus is on studying materials and devices that will have a major impact on future communications infrastructure. Research includes low-cost InGaAsN lasers for access networks, semiconductor optical amplifiers for application in photonic integrated circuits, optical regeneration technologies and optical performance monitoring techniques. Other activities include the non-linear effects of real components in optical network/system contexts including the transmission of rf signals over optical communication channels.
RF Devices, Circuits and Materials provides opportunities for research in optical and electrical assessment of MBE grown GaN and related materials and devices (including dilute nitrides). Research areas also cover the interaction of microwaves and materials, and the design of microwave integrated circuits for material assessment applications.
Power Electronics, Machines and ControlThe Power Electronics, Machines and Control Group (PEMC) offer research opportunities in power electronics, machines and drive control. More specifically, research fields including AC drive control, power electronic converter applications, AC-AC power conversion (converter control, compact power and implementation techniques), and motor drive efficiency and instrumentation methods are available. Expertise also includes robust control, system control of wind and hybrid generation, system control of isolated power buses; EMC in drives and power electronic systems, and dynamic modelling techniques for electrical machines, thus offering further research opportunities.
The PEMC is one of the leading research groups in the UK in the field of power electronics and motor drives. In the past 5 years the group has undertaken research contracts worth £6M, earned from EPSRC, PPARC, DTI, national and international industry, EU, and UK and US defence bodies. In addition to its technological research capabilities, the Group has an expanding portfolio of application areas including renewable energies (Areva, DTI, Innogy, EU, CEMEP), automotive (TRW) and RF power (PPARC/e2v Technologies/DSTL/HPRF Faraday). Its principle application area is currently in Aerospace. Following approx £1M worth of contracts developing high-power density actuator drives and power supplies for Smiths Aerospace, Boeing and Axa-Power, the Group was recently awarded the Smiths Aerospace University Technology Strategic Partnership jointly funded by Smiths Aerospace and EPSRC.